One of the greatest pleasures in life for many people is owning a pet, such as a cat or a dog. For many people a pet is their primary companion, and many families consider a pet as a member of the family.
Pet ownership does have considerable responsibilities though. Some pets are more independent than others. Cats, for example, do not typically require regular walks and indoor cats are almost all trained to use a litter box. Dogs, on the other hand, especially dogs that reside indoors, must be taken for regular walks that provide exercise and the opportunity for the dog to relieve itself.
Unfortunately, some dog owners fail to remove their dog's waste material from where it is deposited. This has led to many cities, as well as private dwellings such as apartment/condo complexes, to impose a rule that all dog/pet waste must be picked up and disposed of by the animal's owner or caregiver.
The most common method for grasping and disposing of pet waste is a plastic bag. Although dedicated plastic bags for pet waste are available, most people simply use the common plastic bags that are used for groceries and other consumer products.
While these bags do function adequately well for pet waste removal, they are not very sanitary or often pleasant to use. One complaint is that recently left pet waste is significantly warm and the person holding the waste feels the heat. Also, a plastic bag does not provide much of a barrier between the pet waste and a person's skin. The chance of contact between the waste and skin is high, and the chance only increases if the bag has a tear in it. In addition to disgusting most people, there is also a significant chance of bacteria being transferred from the waste to a person.
Obviously, if there was a way by which a person could conveniently and hygienically grasp and dispose of waste material, the benefits would be substantial.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
PATENT NO.INVENTORISSUED4,645,251Jacobs24 Feb. 19874,768,818Kolic 6 Sep. 19885,438,708Jacovitz 8 Aug. 1995
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,251 patent discloses a glove-like waste disposal system that comprises a relatively thick, heat-insulating, flexible inner glove which is placed over the hand of a user. An outer glove is then placed over the inner glove. Waste material is picked up by the user whose hand is contained within the inner glove. The outer glove is then peeled or stripped off to an inside-out pouch-forming configuration which contains the picked-up waste material therein. The outer glove with the waste material therein is disposed. The inner glove is reusable, and serves to insulate the user's hand from the temperature and “feel” of the waste material.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,818 patent discloses a disposable mitt that is made of pliant material. The mitt is adapted to provide soil-protection for the hand while exposing a manipulable pocket for pickup of litter, such as dog litter. The mitt is adapted for reversal such that, once the litter is grasped via the pocket, the act of reversal closes the pocket while the hand maintains its grasp, to the point of fully enclosing the litter within the pocket before removing the hand. Remaining reversed mitt material may then be used in a circumferentially tensed wrapping of the loaded and closed pocket.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,708 patent discloses a device for manually collecting, containing and disposing of waste material, such as animal excrement. The invention provides an ambidextrous glove having individual compartments for receiving the fingers and thumb of the hand. The glove has a sleeve portion with a pair of handles which are used to secure the sleeve portion on the forearm of the user. The handles are also used for turning the glove inside out to contain the collected material, and for sealing the device.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention is related reference may be made to the remaining patents located in the search.
PATENT NO.INVENTORISSUED7,080,863Cappellano et al25 Jul. 20066,511,111Dooley28 Jan. 20036,257,473Ringelstetter10 Jul. 20015,961,167Gilley 5 Oct. 19995,400,572Peck et al28 Mar. 19954,788,733Lerner 6 Dec. 19884,783,129Jacobson 8 Nov. 19884,626,291Natale 2 Dec. 1986